PRINTER'S NO. 3407
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
797
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY B. MILLER, MALAGARI, HENNESSEY, DONATUCCI,
SCHLOSSBERG, HICKERNELL, BOBACK, KORTZ, FREEMAN, BURNS,
MILLARD, HILL-EVANS, ECKER, KINSEY, BROWN, RYAN, FEE,
YOUNGBLOOD, SONNEY, OWLETT, GAINEY, SCHMITT, GALLOWAY,
STAATS, ROEBUCK, O'MARA, CIRESI, MENTZER, SCHWEYER,
PASHINSKI, CONKLIN, ZIMMERMAN AND WARREN, MARCH 4, 2020
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, MARCH 4, 2020
A RESOLUTION
Designating April 27, 2020, as "Don't Text and Drive Day" in
Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Texting while driving poses a significant risk to
drivers, passengers, pedestrians and other individuals sharing
the road; and
WHEREAS, Studies show that texting while driving involves
manual, visual and cognitive tasks and can lead to devastating
injuries, fatalities and property damage; and
WHEREAS, The mounting dangers of texting while driving have
validated actions of the General Assembly to reduce texting
while driving; and
WHEREAS, Act No. 98 of 2011 prohibits drivers from operating
a motor vehicle on a highway or trafficway in this Commonwealth
while using an interactive wireless communications device to
send, read or write text-based communication; and
WHEREAS, Act No. 85 of 2014 prohibits drivers from engaging
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in texting while operating a commercial motor vehicle or motor
carrier vehicle; and
WHEREAS, Act No. 165 of 2016 increases penalties for the
offense of homicide by vehicle and for the offense of aggravated
assault by vehicle while using text-based communication; and
WHEREAS, Sending or receiving a text message diverts a
driver's attention for approximately 4.6 seconds, which at 55
miles per hour means blindly driving the length of a football
field; and
WHEREAS, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's
(NHTSA) most recent data shows that texting while driving
creates a crash risk 23 times greater than driving while not
distracted; and
WHEREAS, The National Safety Council estimates that cell
phone-related vehicle accidents account for 26% of all crashes
and texting-related vehicle accidents account for 6% of all
crashes; and
WHEREAS, A 2018 United States Department of Transportation
study notes that, at any given moment during daylight hours,
more than 472,000 vehicles were driven by someone using a
handheld cell phone; and
WHEREAS, NHTSA has found that the percentage of drivers text
messaging or visibly manipulating handheld devices increased
from 1.6% in 2013 to 2.0% in 2016; and
WHEREAS, Data collected by the University of Michigan
Transportation Research Institute shows that approximately 25%
of teenagers have responded to a text message while driving and
that 20% of teenagers and 10% of parents have had extended
multimessage texting conversations while driving; and
WHEREAS, The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts has
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reported that 15,542 distracted driving violations were cited in
Pennsylvania between 2012 and 2018 and approximately 9,995 of
those violations were specific to texting; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's PA
Crash Facts & Statistics indicate that fatalities occurred in
404 of the 103,716 crashes involving distracted driving in this
Commonwealth between 2012 and 2018; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate April
27, 2020, as "Don't Text and Drive Day" in Pennsylvania; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives appeal to
individuals, government agencies, business leaders, hospitals,
schools and other public and private institutions to promote
awareness of the dangers of texting while driving; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives seek support for
programs and policies that reduce the incidence of texting while
driving in this Commonwealth and nationwide; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge residents of
this Commonwealth to preserve life and property by refraining
from texting while driving; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge law
enforcement across this Commonwealth to diligently enforce laws
preventing texting while driving.
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